Highlighted Trend – Thrift Shopping
Words by Rachel Carter
Velcro shoes, lumpy sweaters, and footie pajamas- it may sound like you’re raiding the garage sale of a creepy old neighbor but according to Macklemore’s hit single “Thrift Shop” all of this is now at the height of fashion. “Thrift Shop” is more than an element in Macklemore’s grassroots success, he along with Ryan Lewis made wearing old used clothes hip again. What better time to experiment with this new trend then this upcoming summer?
What It’s About:
Thrift shopping is all about obtaining a “cool look for less,” and with a little help from Macklemore, this trend has extended outside its previous home with the hipsters and can now be seen on almost anyone. Half of the fun in thrift shopping lies in the experience of the store. There’s no suggestive advertising filling the walls, or mannequins dressed in ensembles you would never see a sane person wearing, or trendy low-key music playing in the background. The stores are often pretty simple, cheap, and filled to the brim with clothes to explore. At a thrift shop you have the unique advantage of seeing all the clothes for exactly what they are. Unlike at the Gap where you are convinced that a white t-shirt conveys a classic understated image, at a thrift shop you can just recognize it for what it is; a t-shirt. Being able to step outside those other kinds of saturated environments and really experience the clothing is one of the best elements of shopping in a thrift store.
The Key:
The key to mastering the trend of thrift shopping is to truly open your mind and express your personal creativity. The selection found at thrift stores is unlike anything else, so finding inspiration in odd interesting clothing is important. This trend is all about balancing the irony of the look and embracing the awkwardness of quirky clothes. By creating a contradiction with your style, you can be apart of the anti-fashion statement that is sweeping trendy stores all over the world. Oddly enough, ugly clothes are in right now. It’s all in the way you mix patterns, textiles, and designs and having the confidence to pull it off.
Aside from being good for the environment and your wardrobe, the best part of this current trend is that it’s actually obtainable. You don’t need Macklemore’s bank account to dress just like him. All it takes is $20 with a little creativity and an eye for unique pairings to create an entire outfit. The best tip for thrift shopping is to never go into a thrift store searching for a particular piece. Thrift shops carry so much more than clothing; you may head in looking for a nice broken in pair of jeans and leave with a new coffee table. You just have to go in with an open mind and in tune to whatever the universe is telling you that you need in your life. Shopping at a thrift store also requires a good deal of patience. Clothes are often tossed in bins or hanging up in no specific order. Yet there is no greater reward than discovering a one of a kind piece that you know will turn heads and inspire questions.
Of course there are hipster hubs like Urban Outfitters that carry these kinds of quirky clothes but what about hitting up your local Goodwill? Unlike any other clothing store, thrift shops give shoppers a chance to dig through history. Clothes that people have handed down, clothes that are filled with their own unique memories, who wouldn’t want the chance to keep that spirit alive?
Find a thrift store closest to you!
Goodwill // Thriftsmart // Salvation Army
